For some cities, golf means more than cash

Of about 2,500 municipally run golf courses across the country, there are 39 across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, according to the Jupiter-based National Golf Foundation.

South Florida cities that take on running golf courses generally do see costs run at a deficit. But it was never about the cash, cities say.

Sunrise considers keeping its golf course open a public service. The city has many recreational, athletic, cultural and civic facilities, most of which don’t generate profits, said Sunrise City Manager Richard Salamon.

“We are committed to maintaining our golf club just as we are committed to providing our tennis center, swimming pools, athletic fields and municipal parks,” Salamon said.

Sunrise bought The Bridges at Springtree Golf Club in 1974, two years after it opened. City spokeswoman Christine Pfeffer said this fiscal year’s deficit was almost $800,000. But that figure shows the finances are on the upswing: The city had been contributing $1.2 million a year toward golf course operations immediately after a $3 million redesign in 2010.

That same year, the city also gave up running the course to a management company. The course also got a $4 million clubhouse in 2004. Salamon said 38,000 rounds of golf are played there each year.

In Boca Raton, the city is willing to take a loss, too.

The city owns two courses: the Alan C. Alford Red Reef Executive Course at Red Reef Park, which was part of a purchase in 1974, as well as the Municipal Course. City spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said only the Municipal Course — known as the championship course — “typically breaks even and is selfsupporting.” Last year’s loss for the Red Reef course was $234,004, she said.

And in Davie, the course doesn’t always turn a profit. The Davie Golf and Country Club, formerly known as Arrowhead Golf Course, was purchased by the town in 2011 for $4.5 million to keep it open space.

Phillip Holste, the assistant town administrator, said while the course has turned a profit several times — including $2,500 in 2013 and $13,000 last year — it has seen losses, including $29,000 in 2015.

Pompano Beach built its own course in the early 1950s “to bring quality-of-life recreational activities to residents and visitors of Pompano Beach,” said city spokeswoman Sandra King..

The course’s losses are $593,000 a year on average. The city spent $4 million in 2012 on renovations.